Containers used to transport and/or store food are well known in the art. A widely known example of such container is one that is used to transport and/or store a pizza, referred to hereafter as a pizza-style container or pizza box. Conventional pizza boxes are made out of cardboard or paperboard and are shaped, when assembled, having a generally square configuration. Pizza boxes are typically formed from a sheet stock that is configured to be folded at the point of use in a manner that provides a clamshell-type assembled construction that is capable of accommodating a pizza. In its assembled state, the conventional pizza box is configured having length and width dimensions that are approximately the same, and that are slightly larger that the radius of the particular pizza, and having a low profile height dimension, that is sized greater than the thickness of the particular pizza.
Conventional pizza boxes are intended for one-time use in transporting the pizza from the point of origination to the point of consumption. Once the pizza is consumed or removed from the box, the box is discarded by placement into the trash. A problem known to occur with such pizza boxes is that their size and shape makes them difficult to dispose of in a simple manner. Typically, the size and shape of the assembled pizza box makes it difficult to place the box in a conventionally-sized kitchen trash can. More often than not, the size and shape of the pizza box requires the user to take an extra effort in disposing of the box by carrying it separately to a larger household trash container, such as a large trash barrel stored outside of the house.
It is, therefore, desirable that a food container, e.g., pizza box, be constructed in a manner that accommodates easy and space efficient handling and disposal after the food product has been removed therefrom. It is desired that such food container be constructed to provide such feature without adversely impacting the container=s ability to transport and store the food product. It is desired that such food container be made from readily available materials, and be formed by using available methods.